In addition to the many food banks and food pantries throughout Will County - go to this website to find ones closet to you - various government agencies and organizations are holding their own food drives and distributions to help those in need as November SNAP benefits lag with the government shutdown.

Food pantries are already reporting higher demand as people struggle to meet rising food and energy costs.

Sunday, Nov. 2

Lockport Township Fire Protection District

Volunteers from the Lockport Township Fire Protection District will be working on Saturday, Nov. 2 to collect food for the Lockport FISH Food Pantry outside Jewel-Osco locations in Lockport, 16625 W 159th St., and Romeoville, 20 S. Weber Road.

Volunteers will be taking monetary donations as well as collections of non-perishable goods between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Lists of requested items will be available at the stores.

Monday-Saturday, Nov. 3-8

Plainfield Police Department

The Plainfield Police Department is collecting canned goods and non-perishable items for its first Thanksgiving Stuff-A Squad event. The items collected will go to the Plainfield Interfaith Food Pantry.

Beginning Monday and going through 2 p.m. Saturday. Nov. you can stop by the Plainfield Police Department located at 14300 S. Coil Plus Drive to drop off items. There will be collection boxes next to the squad car parked out front during business hours and during evenings and inclement weather you can find the collection boxes inside the front lobby.

Items needed: paper goods, canned cranberries, boxed cornbread, canned gravy, stuffing, canned vegetables, apple sauce, canned soups, instant mashed potatoes, canned pumpkin pie filling. Please no glass items.

Nov. 7, 17 and 21

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet will be holding mobile food pantries on three different dates in three different locations.

The Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet Mobile Food Pantry delivers healthy food to people in need. All Mobile Food Pantries distribute food through a drive-thru. Please clear space in your trunk or backseat so volunteers can load food boxes directly into your vehicle—rain, snow, or shine!

The diocese mobile food pantry will visit Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, 205 E. Jackson St., Joliet on Friday, Nov. 7 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

On Monday, Nov. 17, the service will be at St. Lawrence parish, 165 Rice Rd, in South Wilmington from 4 to 5 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 21, the diocese will distribute food at St. Joseph parish in Bradley, 211 N. Center Ave. from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Nov. 3-21

Joliet Public Library

The Joliet Public Library is hosting a food drive to benefit the Northern Illinois Food Bank from Nov. 3-21.

Non-perishable items are requested including canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, rice, cereal, soups, beans, and other shelf-stable foods.

Collection boxes will be present in the foyers of both library branches.

Sunday, Nov. 9

The Lockport Township High School District 205 Foundation will be holding a food drive from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Nov. 9 in the Lockport Township High School East Campus parking lot, 1333 E. 7th St.

Food donations can be made at numerous community locations: Nik & Ivy, Lockport Dairy Queen, Lockport Police Department, Lockport Public Works Building, WIngs Dance Studio, and the village of Homer Glen’s Administration offices.

If you have frozen items you’d like to donate - Dairy Queen is happy to take those, according to the LTHS Foundation. All other locations request non-perishable items only.

“We are thrilled to partner with so many wonderful members in our community to help fight food insecurity,” said Angela Adolf, director of development for the foundation.

The foundation also is hosting an online community volunteer information meeting at noon on Monday, Nov. 3. - you can join here: (meet.google.com/yzk-afkq-vwo)

Volunteers can also simply sign up here.

Monetary donations are being accepted as well - you can donate here: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML338FS3NE773/checkout/KUJPE3FYXLAS5W5KHKXQGEQY

Ongoing

Jewel Osco Bolingbrook

Jewel Osco in Bolingbrook, 1200 W. Boughton Road, has designated its 2025 Holiday Bucks program to the DuPage Township Food Pantry.

Now through December, customers can donate “holiday bucks” in increments of $1, $5, or $10 when they check out at Jewel, which the store will then give to the pantry to purchase turkey and ham dinners for families who utilize the food pantry.